PEORIA, Ariz. — Wrappin’ up the Rockies’ 9-2 Cactus League dubya over the Mariners. …

ROCKIES WRAP

Rockies 9, Mariners 2

Peoria Stadium

Hits: Eric Young, Jr., hitting .121 entering the game, doubled and laid down a perfect bunt single in his first two at-bats. … Chris Iannetta banging out a triple on Wednesday and 36-year-old Mike Sweeney following with one a day later? Don’t count on that happening during the regular season. … The Rockies went into the game with 44 doubles, tied with Houston for the N.L. lead. … Jim Tracy said it was his team’s best baserunning performance of the spring. The Rockies stole three bases, including E.Y. Jr.’s first of the Cactus League season.

Misses: Iannetta is having a solid spring, but he struck out looking twice on Thursday. … The Mariners spent much of the day swinging and missing vs. Jason Hammel, who struck out six in five innings _ four on fastballs, two on breaking balls _ to equal his total for the previous nine innings.

PEORIA, Ariz. — The Rockies as of early Thursday evening still were awaiting the results of an MRI on closer Huston Street’s right shoulder.

Not that the day didn’t make for some interesting news.

Jason Hammel took another big step forward, striking out six Seattle hitters in five innings to record his second Cactus League victory. Hammel in 14 spring innings: 1.93, 12 strikes and zero _ count ’em, zero _ walks.

“It seems like each and every time out he gets a little bit better,” said Rockies manager Jim Tracy. “Today I saw some terrific located fastballs both down and away in the zone. His breaking ball today at times was just terrific. It was sharp, it was deep … just another real good outing.”

Hammel’s performance wasn’t the only little victory of the day. Tracy also announced that right-hander Taylor Buchholz, who missed the entire 2009 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, would pitch live batting practice today.

“No question, it’s a little victory,” said Tracy. “No one was pushing his envelope to try to make him feel as if he was being rushed to get to the point that on March 19th he’d be able to throw live batting practice to hitters. But the commitment of the young man … this is where he’s progressed himself. He’s ready to do it. Our medical people feel like he’s in a good place.”

Meanwhile, Tracy and his staff have juggled some of their pitching plans for the next few days. They include:

Aaron Cook, who has allowed 17 hits and 11 earned runs in 8 2/3 spring innings, will pitch in a minor league game on Sunday, leaving Jhoulys Chacin to start vs. the Royals at Surprise.

Said Tracy, when asked about Cook’s struggles: “He needs to rediscover his release point.” The Rockies’ braintrust felt Cook could focus on his mechanics more easily without the distraction of pitching to major leaguers before a big crowd.

Opening day starter Ubaldo Jimenez, meanwhile, will pitch in a minor league game today, mainly because Tracy and his staff want to get a closer look at lefty Greg Smith. Smith, who has been very impressive in Arizona, was supposed to pitch in relief of Jimenez vs. Oakland at Hi Corbett Field. Instead, he is scheduled to go five innings.

As expected, left-handed reliever Randy Flores’ forearm injury was just a bruise, leaving him available at some point in the next few days. Flores took a line drive off the arm in Wednesday’s game vs. Cleveland at Hi Corbett Field.

“He has a pretty nice knot there, but it got a vessel,” said Rockies manager Jim Tracy. “He’s sore today, obviously, and hopefully in a couple of days we’ll get him rolled back out there.”

As of game time Thursday, the biggest news of the day had yet to be relayed to Tracy. He and everyone in the Rockies’ camp were awaiting MRI results on Huston Street’s right shoulder. Street has been shut down with lingering inflammation and is expected to miss the season opener.

“I’ve got my fingers crossed for the Street situation,” said Tracy. “I’m very hopeful that there’s nothing there, but who knows? I’ve been known to want to feel that way before and it doesn’t come back that way.”

Meanwhile, set-up man Rafael Betancourt reported no pain in his shoulder after throwing on the side Wednesday, and is expected to pitch a simulated game Saturday. Tracy said he’s anxious to see Betancourt in game conditions, but expects to use him in minor-league games before putting him on the mound in a Cactus League game.

Why a pork rinds reference — the first and last of the spring, by the way — before a Cactus League game? Because I’m sitting here in the press box in Peoria watching Fox’s Alanna Rizzo inhale a bag of ’em.

That’s right. Alanna’s beauty tip of the day is eat pork rinds. The whole bag. Right down to the plastic. Hot and spicy ones, she tells me. She asked if I wanted one and I told her I wouldn’t mind the hot and spicy if she could just hold the disgusting pork rind.

Anyway, Alanna is on a health kick, so I told her I’d buy her a nice nutritious brat during the game. Why am I telling you this stuff? Because I had never, like, seen a fellow human being eat a pork rind until this very moment, so I thought it was funny.

But then, you want to know about the lineups for the Rox and Mariners, don’t you? Here you go, ball fans. …

Rockies

1. Eric Young, Jr., 2B

2. Carlos Gonzalez, RF

3. Ryan Spilborghs, CF

4. Jason Giambi, 1B

5. Chris Iannetta, C

6. Seth Smith, LF

7. Clint Barmes, SS

8. Michael Paulk, 1B

9. Jonathan Herrera, 3B

Pitching: Jason Hammel, who, I’m here to report, was pretty darn excited about making that 2:20 drive from Tucson to Phoenix.

I know, I know, you’re wondering why Jason Giambi, card-carrying vet that he is, was included in the traveling squad to Peoria. It’s simple. Jim Tracy wanted to get him a couple of at-bats against a left-hander.

By the way, we here it might snow today in Denver. Hang in there, Rox fans. The home opener is three weeks from tomorrow.

PEORIA — By manager Jim Tracy’s own admission, the Rockies are treating injured players with kid gloves this spring. There’s no reason to rush and turn a tweak into an alarm-blaring concern. That said, some of their players are making progress.

–Reliever Rafael Betancourt’s shoulder feels better, but he did not play catch today. That was due, in part, to the wet field conditions. “The last thing you want him to do is slip while throwing,” Tracy said.
–Brad Hawpe (ingrown toenail) ran on a treadmill today. He plans to run outside tomorrow, which should clear him to play Wednesday against the Royals or soon thereafter.
–Reliever Matt Belisle is suffering from a tight right forearm. He deal with the same issue last year, and worked through it, so for now it’s not considered anything serious.
–Huston Street (shoulder) is feeling better. He will throw a bullpen Tuesday.
–The plan is still for Jason Giambi and Todd Helton to play later this week in Tucson.

Hits: Miguel Olivo came to camp in terrific shape after working out daily in his home gym. He is batting .600 (6-for-10) after belting three hits, including a first-pitch home run to center field today. Using his longer stride, Troy Tulowitzki posted a hustle double in the three-run sixth, narrowly beating the throw. Tulowitzki struck the ball sharply three times, lining to right in the only at-bat he was retired. … left fielder Jay Payton made a nice running catch on a sinking liner in the ninth inning.

Misses: Eric Young Jr. left four runners in scoring position in his second and third at-bats. … Hector Gomez, a shortstop by trade, muffed a chance at third base after entering in the middle of the game. … Matt Daley struggled with command, walked a batter, balked twice (called by umpire “Balkin Bob Davidson), gave up a two-run double to Chad Huffman after a lengthy at-bat and an RBI single to Matt Antonelli.

PEORIA — Jorge De La Rosa can’t help smiling. His twin boys, born prematurely, have improved significantly. One has gone home, while the other is close. De La Rosa will see his family this weekend when he accompanies the Rockies to Hermosillo, where he lives.

“I would like to pitch, but it will be nice just to be there,” De La Rosa said.

De La Rosa will pitch Friday, and if today’s outing against the Padres was any indication, it won’t take long. De La Rosa breezed through three innings, allowing just one hit. His breaking ball was snapping, and he commanded his fastball and changeup.

“I feel very confident right now. It’s not like last spring,” said De La Rosa, whose mechanics were a mess a year ago.

De La Rosa has begun the spring with five scoreless innings.

Quick story about De La Rosa before this game ends — the Rockies are leading 5-4 in the eighth. Hanging with the Rockies in Mexico will be nothing new for De La Rosa. He said he served as a batboy for the Rockies during one of their previous games in Mexico. “I still have the helmet from that day. I just remember running fast to get the bats,” he said with a smile. From batboy to 16-game winner. That’s Oscar worthy.

STUCK IN TRAFFIC ON I-10, Ariz. — With apologies to Nebraska, welcome to the most boring stretch of road in America.

When the powers that be — excuse me, The Powers That Be — at The Post decided to move me back to the baseball beat, the first thing I thought of was I-10. Suddenly, at that moment, my dwindling 401(k) didn’t seem like such a bad thing.

They say it’s 110 miles from Peoria, where I’m typing this, to Tucson. It just seems like 110,000. I’m not sure where I-10 begins. All I know is it never ends.

Troy Renck, my partner on the beat, tells me he made 15 Tucson-to-metro-Phoenix round trips last year. And to think, he didn’t win the Employee of the Month award for March. That’s just wrong.

You’ll be glad to know the usual sights and sounds of I-10 remain intact all these years later. I took my first Tucson-to-Phoenix trek in 1992, a year before the Rockies, despite the media’s protestations, began training at Hi Corbett Field.

They were there back in the day, and they’re still there, decked out in their usual orange jumpsuits. The work crew from the nearby state prison, that is. They clean up litter along the highway. Reminds me of Cool Hand Luke every time I see them.

There’s a lot of wide-open spaces in the desert. Just enough room to stash of bunch of airplanes that have seen their better days. There must be a hundred of ’em west of the highway. Not sure if the Dodgers’ team charter from the ’50s is still there, but it was the last time I checked.

Anyway, I kind of made up the dateline on this blog. I officially arrived in Peoria for the Rox-Padres game. It just seemed like I’d never get here. I’d tell you about the drive back to Tucson tonight but, in what amounts to my best veteran move of the spring, I’m spending the night at a Phoenix hotel.

PEORIA, Ariz. — Cole Garner, whose previous claim to fame will be listed in the next paragraph, is schedule to hit third in the Rockies’ lineup today vs. the Padres.

But about that previous claim to fame … Garner, a non-roster invitee to spring training, caught the scouts’ eyes in high school, where he was a teammate of Ian Stewart at La Quinta High in Westminster, Calif.

Stewart was drafted in the first round in 2003. Garner had to wait until the 26th round. He played at Double A Tulsa last season, where he hit .288-16-64 to merit an invitation to camp.

Little did he know he would be in the three hole vs. San Diego. Jim Tracy likes to do that kind of thing just to see how young, relatively unheralded players will react.

The Rockies’ lineup, which, for the record, we would have gotten you an hour or two ago if not for some unwelcome internet issues:

1. Eric Young, Jr., 2B

2. Dexter Fowler, CF

3. Cole Garner, RF

4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS

5. Miguel Olivo, C

6. Michael Paulk, 1B

7. Matt Miller, LF

8. Jonathan Herrera, 3B

9. Jorge De La Rosa

The Padres’ lineup:

1. Tony Gwynn, CF

2. David Eckstein, 2B

3. Adrian Gonzalez (no, he hasn’t been traded to the Red Sox yet, but give the front office time), 1B

4. Chase Headley (Colorado’s Own), 3B

5. Kyle Blanks, LF

6. Will Venable, RF

7. Nick Hundley (no relation to Randy, Cubs fans), C

8. Everth Cabrera, SS

9. Kevin Correia, P

So there you have it. Let’s play two? Um, let’s not. It poured all morning in Arizona and we’ll be lucky to get one in. Yours in all things ball, JA

DENVER — Double-A star pitcher Jhoulys Chacin and speedy Triple-A second baseman Eric Young Jr. have been recognized for their strong seasons with a signinifcant honor. Both have been selected to participate in the Futures Game for top prospects held in conjucntion with the All-Star Game in St. Louis.

Young will play on the U.S. Team for manager Ozzie Smith, while Chacin will be a member of the World roster led by Jose Oquendo.
They are in good company. The game will begin at noon mountain time and can be viewed live on ESPN2, ESPN2 HD and MLB.TV

There have been 52 players who have competed in both the XM All-Star Futures Game and the Major League All-Star Game. In 2008, a record 23 Major League All-Stars were alumni of the XM All-Star Futures Game (including Alfonso Soriano who was replaced on the All-Star roster due to injury), edging the previous mark of 22 set in 2007.

At the plate: Christian Colonel has made some noise this spring. Friday he cranked up the volume, crushing a pitch by Mariners lefty Erik Bedard for a grand slam in the first inning. He added a sacrifice fly in the third to finish with five RBIs. His 15 total RBIs leads the team.
A true utility man – he can play first, second, third, left or right – Colonel has played a team-high 142 innings, 97 of them at third base. Colonel hit .308 with 65 RBIs for Triple-A Colorado Springs last season, but has yet to make his big-league debut.

Ian Stewart, who started in left then moved to third, hit a two-run bomb in the fifth, his third homer of spring.

On the mound: Starter Aaron Cook, working up his pitch count in preparation for opening day, throwing his planned 100 pitches over 5 2/3 innings. He wasn’t particularly sharp, his sinker was flat and he gave up three runs on 10 hits. But there was a bright side to his struggles.

“Today my slider was what helped me get through today,” he said. “I got my arm slot where it needed to be and make some quality pitches with it. I’ve been putting a lot of emphasis on it in spring training. I’ve always had a good slider, but it’s all about having confidence in it. It makes me a better all-around pitcher.”

In the field: Infielder Jonathan Herrera, getting the start at second base made a series of tough plays look easy. In the first inning, he leaped high to snare a line drive and steal a base hit away from Adrian Beltre.

Peoria, Ariz. – Three Kid Rox got the honor of taking the long I-10 bus ride from Tucson to Peoria to meet the Mariners today.

Troy Tulowitzki, who developed a stiff back riding up here last week, is in the lineup, hitting second. Catcher Chris Iannett gets the DH role today and bats cleanup. Ian Stewart starts in left and bats fifth.

Aaron Cook, with the fourth best ERA in the Cactus League (1.89) starts for the Rockies. The Mariners start lefty Erik Bedard.

At the plate: Maybe Todd Helton should save something for the regular season.

On a blustery day that left outfielders sprinting and then back-tracking, Helton went 3-for-3 with two doubles, two RBIs and two walks. Helton’s hitting .423 with 11 RBIs.

Jeff Baker, the subject of trade rumors, continued to swing a hot bat, smacking a single up the middle in the fifth and an RBI-double in the seventh.

On the mound: In comparison to Jason Marquis’ nightmare outing on Wednesday, Jorge De La Rosa’s five innings today were a mild bad dream. De La Rosa, expected to be the No. 4 starter, had one ugly inning mixed in with four solid ones.

As often happens with De La Rosa, the snowball effect was in play in the fourth. He gave up a leadoff single to James Loney, followed by a single to Matt Kemp and a double to James DeWitt. By the time De La Rosa got the third out, the Dodgers had five runs on five hits.
To De La Rosa’s credit, he set the Dodgers down in order in the fifth, striking out two. His Cactus League ERA sits at 9.42.

Josh Fogg, trying to hang on for a spot in the bullpen, pitched a crisp sixth inning that ended with a 6-4-3 double play. In the seventh, the Dodgers tagged him for a double, a walk and a two-run single by Loney.

Closer candidate Huston Street, his fastball humming, his location sharp, gave up a bunt single in the ninth, but otherwise threw a clean inning.

In the field: Helton and Chris Iannetta teamed up for a nice play in the fourth, with Helton fielding a grounder at first and quickly gunning the ball to Iannetta, who tagged out Kemp at the plate.

Iannetta threw out two would-be base stealers at second. He said his balance and throwing position have improved since last season.

Footnotes. The Rockies had considered playing Garrett Atkins (groin strain) today, but decided to hold off. He’s now scheduled to play a minor-league game Friday and join the Rockies Saturday for their game against the Cubs.

At the plate:Ryan Spilborghs snapped an O-fer spring with a first-inning single. He reached base in all three of his plate appearances, including an RBI single in the sixth. Pinch-hitter Eric Young Jr. plated the go-ahead runs with a two-RBI single, pushed two more across in the seventh when a pop-up ricocheted off Rule V pick Everth Cabrera’s glove for a questionable error and stole a base.

On the mound:Ace Aaron Cook wasn’t as economical as normal – requiring 65 pitches for four innings – but was no less effective. Free to pitch any way he wanted, the All-Star right-hander pounded the Padres with fastballs, including four strikeouts of Chase Headley and Kyle Blanks on sinkers. “I can’t honestly say I was trying to get strikeouts there. I was just focusing on making good quality pitches,’’ said Cook, who finished with six Ks.
Huston Street was everything Cook was not. He faced six batters and five scored. Headley and Blanks both crushed changeups for home runs. After a walk to Nick Hundley, Street was pulled, a concerning outing a day after the team lost setupman Taylor Buchholz (elbow) for at least a month. Street has a 33.83 ERA in two spring appearances. Manuel Corpas, meanwhile, has not allowed a run in four innings, counting work for Team Panama, giving him the early edge in the competition for the closer’s spot.
Five months after shoulder surgery, left-handed reliever Randy Flores made his spring debut, showing resolve. Flores stranded runners on second and third by retiring three consecutive hitters.
Reliever Esmil Rogers provided a Pepto-Bismol moment in the ninth, tagged by Chad Huffman for a grand slam.

In the field: In the bottom of the third inning, second baseman Jonathan Herrera made the Rockies’ best defensive play of the spring, diving fully extended to spear a Chris Burke groundball. Herrera fired a dart to first, but Burke beat the throw. “It was an incredible play. But he was safe,’’ Cook said. Herrera has played short, second and third this spring as he tries carve out a new niche. Third baseman Christian Colonel, Cal Ripken of the Cactus League, made a nice pick and throw to nail Travis Denker, drawing oohs and aahs from the crowd. He has appeared in every Rockies’ game this spring.

Footnotes:Based on applause, there were more Rockies’ fans than Padres’ boosters at Peoria Sports Complex. In fact, the Rockies’ fans were louder than any crowd at Hi Corbett Field this spring.

Since the games began, spring training has been a nine-day cringe. The Rockies are officially 0-7 — 1-8 if you count a B game and Thursday’s exhibition against Mexico — as they head to Valley for a two-day roadie. They play the Padres today in Peoria, followed by the Giants in Scottsdale on Saturday.

Health, or lack thereof, has overshadowed camp. A quick update for my loyal readers (see my family) before heading West on I-10. Right fielder Brad Hawpe will have the four stitches in his left pinkie removed tomorrow. That means he should take batting practice Monday. Ian Stewart, out with a sore left biceps, will track pitches during bullpen sessions by Josh Fogg and Glendon Rusch. He also said he will take BP at Hi Corbett today.

Garrett Atkins, who was scratched yesterday with a sore right hip flexor, is scheduled to play tomorrow in Scottsdale, but a final decision won’t be made until after today’s workout. Todd Helton is creeping closer to his debut. Saw him this morning. He looks good, He won’t play until Sunday at the earliest. More likely it will be early next week. He continues to hit, run and field — I have watched these workouts — so there’s no reason to think he won’t play soon.

At the plate: Matt Murton, battling for a reserve outfield spot, keeps slugging the ball. He drove in Troy Tulowitzki with a sharp single in the second, then singled and stole second base in the fourth. Murton entered the game hitting .333 in Cactus League play. He started in left field today.

On the mound: Left-hander Jorge De La Rosa was pumped up to face his fellow countrymen. He left the mound decidedly deflated.
The free-swinging Mexican team knocked him around for six earned runs in just 2 2/3 innings. De La Rosa faced 17 batters and gave up 11 hits (.647 average). He also walked two.
“I made a lot of mistakes,” said De La Rosa, who’s penciled in as the Rockies fourth starter. “I left the ball up and paid for it.”
Mexico, getting primed for the WBC, was clearly ready to play.
“It is a good team, but if you make good pitches, you can get them out,” he said. “I’ve faced them a lot of times but I made a lot of mistakes.”
Young right-handed reliever Jhoulys Chacin came in and did a nice job dousing the hot Mexican bats, pitching 2 1/3 innings and giving up no hits. He did walk one and hit a batter.

In the field: Clint Barmes looked good at second base, looking smooth in turning two double plays. Although he’s played some shortstop this spring, Barmes increasingly looks at home manning second.

Footnotes: Third baseman Garrett Atkins was scratched from the starting lineup before the game because of a slight right hip flexor injury.

Up next: The Rockies, 0-7 in the Cactus League, travel to Peoria, Ariz., on Friday to play the San Diego Padres.
Scheduled Rockies pitchers: Aaron Cook, Allan Embree, Ryan Mattheus and Esmil Rogers.

One of the best parts of spring training is the unpredictability. You never know who you will meet when you show up at a game. Today, I spent part of the Rockies’ batting practice chatting with Josh Holliday, Matt Holliday’s brother. Read more…

One of the best parts of spring training is the unpredictability. You never know who you will meet when you show up at a game. Today, I spent part of the Rockies’ batting practice in Peoria chatting with Josh Holliday, Matt Holliday’s brother. Read more…

Mesa – Driving back from Phoenix to Tucson Monday night, a former Colorado player called and brought up an interesting topic: What the heck are the Rockies going to do about their logjam in their Triple-A outfield?

The easy answer is shed some bodies. That process is expected to begin today with Jeff Salazar. According to major league sources, the Rockies have attempted to trade Salazar. If unsuccessful with that route, he could be released. That makes sense since it frees up playing time for Cory Sullivan to play everyday for the Sky Sox.

The Rockies have plenty of outfielders in Colorado Springs with the likes of Seth Smith and Sullivan, who was last year’s big league opening day starter.

Salazar was briefly in the mix to compete for playing time this season before the club acquired Willy Taveras and signed free agent Steve Finley.

Hawpe remains idle
Outfielder Brad Hawpe received lengthy treatment all morning on his sprained left ankle and was unavailable for comment.

Hawpe’s absence would create more playing time for Finley, in right field today, and Jeff Baker.

Around the horn
The Cubs are the one team in Arizona that draw crazy crowds, their following legendary. What is surprising, however, HoHoKam Park’s modesty. The stadium pales to those in Peoria and Surprise. Makes me wonder if the Cubs will ever get in on all the new stadium action in the valley?

On that topic, Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf continues to act as if he will have no problem having a team fill his club’s lease when it leaves Tucson Electric Park. That team must be approved by the county as well. The two favorites remain the Baltimore Orioles and the Houston Astros. By virtue of their lease, the Rockies can leave Tucson if there aren’t two other teams in the city. Colorado declined to move over to TEP.

Footnotes
According to the Chicago Tribune, the Rockies have expressed interest in Sox knuckleballer Charlie Haeger, who failed in his bid to make Chicago’s rotation. …. Mark Prior starts today for the Cubs. He will not break camp with the Cubs, either opening on the DL or being optioned to Triple-A.

Patrick, a third-generation Colorado native, is back for his second stint covering the Rockies. He first covered the team from 2005-2009, helping chronicle “Rocktober” in 2007 and also following the team’s playoff run in 2009.

Nick Groke has worked at The Denver Post since 1997, as a sports reporter, city reporter, entertainment writer and digital editor and producer, among other newsroom posts. He also writes regularly about boxing, soccer, MMA and NASCAR.